Lead Agency: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Type of Action: Administrative
Jurisdiction: Portions of Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, and Washakie counties, Wyoming
Abstract: This Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) describes and analyzes alternatives for the planning and management of public lands and resources administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bighorn Basin Planning Area. The Worland Field Office and part of the Cody Field Office compromise the Planning Area. The Planning Area is located in north-central Wyoming, and comprises approximately 5.6 million acres of land in Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, and Washakie counties. Within the Planning Area, the BLM administers approximately 3.2 million acres of surface land and 4.2 million acres of federal mineral estate.
Through this RMP revision project, the BLM is revising the three existing plans (the Cody, Washakie, and Grass Greek RMPs) under which the BLM Cody and Worland Field Offices operate to address the availability of new data and policies, emerging issues, and changing circumstances that have occurred during the approximately 20 years since the Records of Decision for the three existing plans were signed. As part of the RMP revision process, the BLM conducted a scoping period to solicit input from the public and interested agencies on the nature and extent of issues and impacts to be addressed in the Draft RMP and Draft EIS. Planning issues identified for this RMP revision focus on watershed and air management, energy and minerals management, fire and fuels management, invasive species, wildlife and special status species habitat, wild horses, cultural and paleontological resources, management of visual resources, land ownership adjustments, access to public lands and travel, recreation and visitor use, livestock grazing, special designations, and socioeconomic conditions.
To assist the agency decisionmaker, cooperating agencies, and the public in focusing on appropriate solutions to planning issues, the Draft EIS considers four alternative RMPs. Alternative A is a continuation of current management (No Action Alternative). Under this alternative, use of public lands and resources would continue to be managed under the three existing RMPs, as amended. Alternative B emphasizes more protection of physical, biological, and heritage resources, while providing for the smallest level of development. Alternative C emphasizes resource development, while limiting protective management of physical, biological, and heritage resources. Alternative D is the BLM’s current Agency Preferred Alternative. Alternative D it is not a final agency decision, but instead an indication of the agency’s preliminary preference that reflects the best combination of decisions to achieve BLM goals and policies, meets the purpose and need, addresses the key planning issues, and considers the recommendations of cooperating agencies and BLM specialists.
When completed, the Records of Decision for the RMP will provide comprehensive, long-range decisions for (1) managing resources in the BLM Cody and Worland Field Offices and (2) identifying allowable uses on the BLM-administered surface land and mineral estate. Comments are accepted for 90 days following the date the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency publishes the Notice of Availability for this Draft RMP and Draft EIS in the Federal Register. Comments should be submitted via email to BBRMP_WYMail@blm.gov. Alternatively, comments can mailed to: Bighorn Basin RMP and EIS, Bureau of Land Management Worland Field Office; P.O. Box 119; 101 South 23rd Street; Worland, Wyoming 82401.